Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Information
There is no tourist office at the time of writing but there is an extremely useful online re-
source,
www.buenavista.com.bo
. For information on Parque Nacional Amboró, visit
SERNAP
(
932-2055;
www.sernap.gob.bo
;
7am-7pm)
, a block south of the plaza,
where you can pick up an entry permit and inquire about current park regulations and ac-
commodations options if you are lucky enough to find it manned.
There's no bank or ATM here, so bring cash from elsewhere. If you are desperate, a
Moneygram office
(
8:30am-noon & 2:30-6pm Mon-Fri, 8:30am-noon Sat)
on the
street corner one block north of the plaza can wire money from abroad. An acceptable in-
ternet connection is available at
Punto Viva
(per hr B$4;
8am-10pm)
just off the
southwest corner of the plaza.
Getting There & Away
From Santa Cruz, shared taxis (B$23, two hours) leave for Yapacaní from the
micro
side
of the bimodal terminal and behind the old long-distance bus terminal. Make it clear that
you want to get off at Buena Vista. Returning taxis cruise around the plaza with horns
blaring in search of passengers.
Parque Nacional & Área de Uso Múltiple
Amboró
This 430,000-hectare park lies in a unique geographical position at the confluence of three
distinct ecosystems: the Amazon Basin, the Chaco and the Andes.
The park was originally created in 1973 as the Reserva de Vida Silvestre Germán
Busch, with an area of 180,000 hectares. In 1984, due to the efforts of British zoologist
Robin Clarke and Bolivian biologist Noel Kempff Mercado, it was given national park
status and in 1990 was expanded to 630,000 hectares. In late 1995, however, amid contro-
versy surrounding
campesino
(subsistence farmer) colonization inside park boundaries, it
was pared down to its current size.
The park's range of habitats means that both highland and lowland species are found
here. Mammals include elusive spectacled bears, jaguars, tapirs, peccaries and various
